Space Croppers Challenge
by Chewie-Fan
Summary: This was written as a challenge on another site.  What if Judy had witnessed Effra's second temptation of Don?  It leads directly into my Space Croppers Alternate Universe Story.  Characters belong to Irwin's estate, etc...
1. Chapter 1

**The Space Croppers Challenge **

This was written for a challenge on another site. The challenge was what if Judy had seen Effra's second temptation of Don when she was dressed in her formal gown. It leads directly into the Space Croppers Alternative Universe story I've already started to post. It helps to have read the Lost Back Story for background. The bolded is dialogue taken directly from the episode that was written by Peter Packer.

Chapter 1

Meet the Croppers

Don leaned against the hydroponics table after being dropped to the ground by Keel, the big guy. He was still trying to catch his breath when Effra went into panther mode. **"Hey, uh, you know, you're a real handsome one,"** she said as she stepped closer to him.

He couldn't stop himself from sweeping his eyes down and back up her fine form. _'You're not so bad yourself,' _he thought, but she kept coming closer… and closer… _'Uh… ok… close enough…'_ He leaned back and back... _'Ah… uh… too close!' _His mouth was in mush mode.

Judy looked on in consternation. _'If she gets any closer to him, she'll be on top of him!'_ she thought. She observed them for two more seconds. _'That's it.'_ She put the equipment down and strode over to confront the temptress.

Effra's hand went to Don's ear and she ran her fingers through his hair. Don's brain seemed to have left him. _'Uh-oh... Ah… ooo… feels kinda good… but… uh… Man it's hot!'_ His mouth wouldn't engage.

"**Ohh. Does your face always hot up and turn red when you're spoken to?"** she asked him.

'_Eh… um… Well, uh… only when strange women caress my face… ha…'_ His tongue was still tied.

Judy reached them. **"I'll answer that,"** she said, as both Don and Effra turned towards her. Judy took Effra's hand away from Don's face. **"And the answer's to keep your hands to yourself, whoever you are."** Judy crossed her arms and in her mind added, '_You… you… hussy!'_ as she and Effra took stock of each other.

'_Whew!' _Don thought as he looked from Judy to Effra to Judy… _'I think I'm in trouble.'_

John and Maureen came out of the Jupiter, wondering what in blazes was going on out there. _'The cavalry!'_ Don cheered and he pulled the zipper of his shirt down a few inches to cool off and breathe, but saw Judy switch from 'jealous girlfriend' to 'dutiful daughter' mode.

"**We're your new neighbors," **Effra explained.**"Ran out of, uh, seasoning powder for our stew."**

'_Sure__ she did,' _Judy thought while Don held his stomach and mused,_'That's not __all__ she came for…'_

"**Be much obliged if you could loan us a mite till we get us a crop of vittles,"** Effra asked.

Maureen, always gracious, said, **"Certainly. Judy, please go and get her some more seasoning, will you?"**

'_Oh, Mother, I can't believe you're sending me in to get it,'_ she thought._'Well, I'm not going to let Effra think she can get away with this… even with my parents here,'_ she added to herself as she accepted the pot from Effra on three fingers. She kept her eyes on her rival and almost said, _'You're in for a battle if you think you can snare him from me.' _

Effra sized up her competition. _'Still mama's little girl,' _she thought as she watched Judy sway her way into the Jupiter, swinging the little pot over her shoulder.

Don watched her leave. _'Hoo, boy. I'm really in trouble.'_ Don's brain was fully functioning again.

"**Is there anything else we can do for you, uh, until you get your own vittles? Uh, we don't have very much, but we'd gladly share what we do have."** Maureen offered.

Effra declined and went on to ask John about the space ship** "Must've been to a heap of places."**

**"No, just, uh, Earth and here. But we do hope to get off soon,"** John replied.

Effra lost her composure for a second. **"Well, I hope not before we get us our crops raised,"** she said, but recovered. **"What I mean is, uh… well you can all come over and join us for a meal. Ma's a right good cook."**

"**Oh, well, that's wonderful. Perhaps we could trade recipes,"** Maureen stated.

**"I don't know about that. You might have a little trouble following Ma's directions."**

Judy came sauntering back, still swinging the pot with a small amount of seasoning in it, and then stood beside Don. Effra accepted it, dipped her index finger into the seasoning and sucked the spice seductively off her finger. **"Tastes right sharp. Much obliged."**

Dr. Smith peeked out of the Jupiter and then walked out of the hatch and said,**"Effra, my dear girl! Well. What a pleasant surprise."**

'_What are you up to now, Smith?' _Don thought, while Judy commented to herself,_'Pleasant? I don't think so.'_

"**Have you all met this charming young lady and her… stalwart brother?"** Smith asked.

"We have," Judy replied for everyone, as Don stretched and leaned closer to Judy while he thought, _'Yeah… a __too__ close encounter of the third kind…'_

Not wanting to engage Smith in conversation, Effra stated, **"Yes, well, I guess we'd better get going now."** She turned to her brother. **"Keel. Keel!"** she said and slapped him to get his attention.

'_Ouch!' _Don thought and he jerked back as if he had been slapped himself. The group chuckled at their antics. Dr. Smith put on his biggest smile and said, **"Give your dear mother my kindest regards. I did so much enjoy meeting her."**

'_You slimy creature,'_ Effra thought and said, **"Didn't look like you enjoyed it."** She turned her attention back to Don and caressed his cheek. **"Aw… You done cooled off."**

He kept his wits about him this time and told himself, _'That's right… and it's gonna stay that way.' _

'_Oh, she's at it again,' _Judy mused.

Don looked away from Effra to Judy. _'Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about…'_he replied in his head as if he had heard her.

Effra softly slapped his face and gave Judy a final stare, thinking, _'Don't think I've given up. I'll be back for him.'_

'_Go ahead… Try it… I can take you…'_ Judy wordlessly replied.

Effra turned and sauntered away with her best seductive stroll and called her brother to follow, **"Keel!"** The group watched her leave.

Judy smiled as both she and Don thought, _'Thank God that's over with.'_ Judy craned her neck to be sure they were out of ear shot as Don shook his head to clear it.

"Well, my goodness, that was quite an encounter," Maureen stated.

"Yes, yes… they are a lovely family, are they not?" Dr. Smith asked.

"I wouldn't say that, Dr. Smith," Judy said.

"Oh, come now, Judith. Surely you're not concerned about_ Effra_. She was just being friendly."

Don glanced at Judy. "A little _too_ friendly, if you ask me," he commented.

"You can say _that_ again," Judy added as she caught his eye. He smiled at her in gratitude. He wasn't sure, but he thought that maybe he had redeemed himself in her eyes.

"Speaking of which," John stated, "Judy, you were somewhat 'inhospitable_'_ to our visitor."

Judy wasn't sure if she was in 'daughter' or 'girlfriend' mode and wasn't able to reply. Maureen came to her rescue and told John, "It's all right, dear. I'm sure she meant nothing by it. Let's go inside and give Don and Judy a little space, shall we?" Maureen suggested. John tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at his wife. It wasn't like her to let any of the children get away with being impolite. He shrugged and followed her. "Dr Smith?" she called over her shoulder.

"Coming!" Dr. Smith responded. He shot Don a sly look and added, "I'm sure we'll meet them again." He nodded to Judy and entered the ship.

Don hadn't moved from his spot and kept his eyes on Judy as Smith left them. Judy looked up at him and said, "Let's go for a walk."

He stepped away from the hydroponics table and took her hand. "Sounds good to me."

They walked in silence until they were approaching their private spot. "So…" Judy said, "she certainly advertised her wares."

"Yeah, but I'm not buying," Don stated.

"I don't know…" Judy felt that she had to test him. "You looked quite… hot and bothered to me."

He chuckled. "_Bothered_ is the right word."

Judy stopped and pulled his hand to turn him towards her. "You mean to tell me that you weren't the _least_ bit tempted?"

Don turned his eyes to the sky and thought, _'How do I get out of this one?' _He sighed and looked her square in the eye. "Did I react by getting 'hot and bothered'? Yes. Was I tempted?" He caressed her cheek and his eyes softened. "No." She lifted her shoulders towards him and he let go of her hand to put his arms around her. "You know how I am when I'm hot, bothered _and_ tempted."

She put her hands around his neck and leaned into him. "Show me."

'_Oh, is 'passionate lover' back?'_ he asked himself and decided to find out. He kissed her lips and she moved her fingers through his hair. Their kiss deepened… and deepened… until there was no place else to go. He trailed his lips along her cheek to her neck, but the collar of her top was in his way. "Oh, what I'd give to get rid of your turtleneck," he murmured.

She licked his ear and whispered, "Go ahead. Get it out of the way."

Did he hear right? "What?" he asked.

"Get it out of the way," she repeated.

He just stared at her. She took his hand and placed it on the top of the zipper to her tunic. "Uh, Judy… you don't have to do this," he said.

"Yes I do," she replied.

"I'm, uh, tempted enough…" He put his hands on her tush and pushed her hips against his. She could feel just how tempted he was.

She pressed herself against him and wiggled her hips as she kissed him again. His 'other brain' started to take over. _'Oh, now __this__ feels good… mmm…'_ His mind gave him one final warning,_'…Too good…' _He broke their kiss so they could come up for air. "Ah, Judy, I'm, uh, not ready for this today," he confessed.

"What do you have to do to get ready?" she questioned.

"Come on, Judy… For me, sex has to come out of love, not jealousy."

"It wasn't always that way with you," she said.

He frowned and felt like she had slapped him in the face… hard. He remembered the last time he had been physically intimate with a woman. "Yeah, well… I guess I deserved that one."

She immediately regretted what she had said. "I'm sorry, Don. I didn't mean it that way."

He placed his hands on either side of her hips and pulled her away from him. Their moment had passed. He couldn't look her in the eye and turned away. "You know, I still feel guilty about Lynn."

"Don't feel guilty, Don. It was before you met me."

"I know, but… the memories… the memories with her… with you… still hurt."

She came up behind him, rubbed his back and hugged him. She leaned her head against him and said, "I didn't mean to bring the memories back."

He shook his head. "Look, it's _my_ problem, not yours."

She closed her eyes and held him a moment longer. Then she walked around to face him and whispered. "It's _our_ problem." She reached out for his hand and said, "Let's go back to the ship."

He nodded and let her lead him back home in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tied to Committment

Once inside the Jupiter they went their separate ways. Judy entered her room and worried about what was going through Don's mind, but she wanted to give him enough time to come to grips with whatever it was that was still haunting him. For her part, she wondered just what had possessed her to stand up to Effra and throw herself at Don afterwards.

'_It's just that I love him, that all,_' she told herself, but she knew that her actions were not those of a woman who trusted her man. She was afraid that he'd be taken in by Effra's advances and stepped in to be sure that Effra knew he was her property. And then her attempts to seduce him later just reinforced that notion. She wanted to put her stamp on him. _'What was it he used to say?'_ she asked herself, _'no sex… no commitment?' _

She hugged her knees to her chest and told herself that she wouldn't cry. _'Don was right. I wanted him to make love to me because I was jealous of Effra and wanted him to prove that he __is__ committed to me.' _She lost her battle with the tears. She just hoped that she hadn't lost Don as well.

* * *

Don wasn't sure what to do with himself when he and Judy returned to the Jupiter. He knew that she had retreated to her room and he sat in his pilot's chair, hoping that no one would come and ask him about the day's events. He went through the motions of checking the ship's console, but finally tossed his clipboard aside. _'What the hell happened to me today?' _he asked himself. _'I made a fool of myself and Judy had to step in to protect me.' _

He thought back to his first year at the Academy. Effra had reminded him a lot of his first girlfriend at that time… Mia. Don just played along with her until he got tired of her controlling 'diva' ways. Then there was Lynn… He had told her that he didn't love her, but he let her get the best of him. _'What was it I told myself after that Thanksgiving night? No sex, no strings, no commitment… Wait… Did I ever tell Judy about that?' _He put his head in his heads and wracked his brain, but couldn't remember. _'I've got to go talk to her.' _

He descended the ladder and searched the lower deck for her, but before he found her, sounds of a rhythmic drum and chanting voices echoed throughout the ship. He, John and Maureen decided to investigate and Don went to find Smith so he could show them the way.

Before he pulled Smith out of his cabin, he quietly called Judy's name outside her door. She slid it open just enough to step out. "What's that noise?" she asked him.

"Your parents and I are going to find out. I'm getting Smith, but… can we talk when I come back?"

She nodded. Don smiled and moved to Smith's door, but Judy followed him. "Don?"

He turned to her. "I promise that nothing's going to happen, Judy,"

"I know… I just wanted to give you this," she said and then she stretched up to kiss his cheek and he pulled her in for a hug.

* * *

When they returned, Judy was waiting near the viewport. Don walked in twirling a leaf given to him by Effra. He handed it to Maureen and said, "Effra gave this to me before I left…" then glanced at Judy when he said, "as a 'remembrance.' You can probably test it tomorrow to find out more about their crops."

Maureen took it from him and looked from him to Judy. "Thank you, Don. I'll deposit it in the lab. John? Shall we?" She and her husband retreated to their cabin.

While Don was putting his weapon away, Dr. Smith entered the ship and greeted them. "Ah, Judith. What an unusual family they are. They were singing to the plants to help them grow. Isn't that quaint?" He turned to Don and added, "And that lovely Effra certainly has her eye on you, Major, but I must warn you that I will not allow that poor girl to be taken in by your charms just to have her hopes dashed."

Judy turned her back on Smith and stared out the window. She was in no mood to listen to Dr. Smith's ramblings. She crossed her arms and tried her best to tune him out. Don glanced at Judy and wanted to wring Smith's neck, which he thought would probably be the fastest way to get rid of him. He took a step towards Smith and threatened, "Effra has nothing to hope about, and you be sure to tell her that on your next visit. Now leave us alone before I…"

"Major, I am very glad to hear that," Smith exclaimed. "You know, she is such a sensitive young thing…" Don took another step towards him and grit his teeth. Smith backed away and stepped on the elevator. "It has been an exhausting day. Good night Judith," he called. He nodded to Don. "Major." Smith descended, and they were finally alone.

Don let out a long breath and turned to Judy. "I'm sorry, Judy…"

She faced him and interrupted, "No, Don. You have nothing to be sorry about."

"Oh, yes I do." He walked up to her and asked, "Sit in my lap?" She nodded, so he sat in his pilot's chair and pulled her down and she snuggled against his chest. "Hey, this reminds me of the Adirondack chair on your porch in Houston," Don commented.

She laughed. "You spent quite a bit of time in that chair, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that was my penance when I'd mess up…"

"Oh, Don, you never messed up."

"Oh, I did today. I should have stood up to her the moment she set her sights on me."

She thought about that a moment and then asked, "Why didn't you?"

"I was… flattered… By the way, thanks for saving me."

"I should have trusted you to get rid of her."

"But I didn't."

"You would have…"

"You don't sound convinced. Come on… be honest with me."

"I… I wasn't sure what you were going to do, so I took matters into my own hands."

"You didn't trust me."

"I didn't trust_her_…"

"And…?"

"And… you… I'm sorry. I know I was wrong…"

"Judy, there is no wrong or right here. Did we ever talk about that Thanksgiving Night when Lynn tried…"

"Yes," she interrupted. "You said, 'No sex… no commitment.'"

"It was 'No sex, no_strings_, no commitment.' I am tied to you Judy. We may not have had sex, but you know that the commitment is there, and not just because there's no one else around. I mean, haven't we talked about marriage enough for you to believe that?" She absent mindedly moved her palm to his cheek and brushed her thumb against it.

"Well?" he asked. She picked her head up and nodded. "Then why don't you trust me?" he asked.

"Because… you don't know if… I can… satisfy you."

He started chuckling and then covered his mouth to stop from laughing. "Oh, Judy… if you only knew… You've satisfied me many times over in my dreams…"

"Really? Then why haven't you told me about your dreams."

"Well, it's… it's embarrassing…"

"I might find it flattering…"

He took a long look at her and nodded. "Yes, you would. Now… what do I need to do to prove to you that I am committed?"

"I don't know, Don… just… I guess just keep telling me that you love me."

"I love you… I love you… I love you… I lo—"

She giggled. "Ok, I believe you."

"Then show me."

She tilted her head and met his lips. They were both satisfied… for now…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Formal Invitation

Judy was sleeping late so Don was doing her garden chores for her when Effra, looking like she had just walked out of a Greek temple, approached him. **"Well…"** he said. As she walked up he thought, _'I gotta admit that she is quite a beautiful sight,' and as_ she got closer, he asked,**"What have you come to borrow this time, Effra?"**

"**I ain't come to borrow,"** she breathed. **"Now that our crop's in, why, we've got everything we need."**

"**Well, that's good. I—I guess you'll be leaving soon,"** he replied. _'And I can get some peace…'_

She strode up to him. **"Sounds as though you're glad to see us go."**

"**You haven't been exactly friendly neighbors, now have you?"**_'And,'_ he thought, _'the sooner you leave… the better.'_

Judy approached the hatch of the space ship and saw Effra put her hand on Don's shoulder. _'Oh, no… she's back…' _she said to herself, _'but I'm going to let Don handle her this time.'_

"**Well, I – I could be right friendly if you'd only let me. Well, we could go places together,"** Effra told him as she caressed his chest and drew a trail to his heart. **"Anywhere your – your little ol' heart desires."**

'_She doesn't give up, does she?'_ Judy thought as she watched. Don kept telling himself, _'Effra's got no power over you, West… Keep it together.'_

Effra stepped away from him and continued**"Ohh, why, uh… we could set down any place and do us some plantin' and live off the fat of the land."**

'_Freedom…' _he thought.

"**Don't that sound inviting?"** Effra asked.

Judy held her breath waiting for Don's response. He nodded and said, **"Yes,"** but to himself added, _'if you were Judy.'_ Judy covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from shouting, _'No!' _She almost cried in relief when he added, **"But not for me."**

"**Why not?"** Effra demanded.

"**Because I've got other plans. Now why don't you be a good girl and go back where you belong?"** He grabbed her arm. _'And if you don't go willingly, I'll drag you,'_ he thought as he pushed her away from him.

"**I could put a spell on you if I put my mind to it," **Effra warned.

'_You know, I've had it with you lady…'_ Don thought and said, **"Go ahead. Now, if you'll excuse me."** He turned towards the ship and left her fuming by the hydroponics table. He ran head first into Judy as he stomped into the Jupiter. "You're up! Then I,uh, I guess you heard…"

"The whole thing," Judy stated.

"And how did I do?"

"You had me worried there for a minute, but… you did all right."

He gave her a half smile and said, "Well I almost felt sorry for her. She just seemed so… desperate."

"She must be to want to put a spell on you."

"You're not worried about that are you?"

"Honestly?" she asked. Now _he_ was worried. She laughed and threw her arms around him. "No, I'm not," she said. "We'll just counteract her spell with one of our own." They leaned towards each other to kiss, but broke apart when Will came running up the ramp.

"You know, she is really weird!" Will said.

Don and Judy laughed and both said at the same time, "You can say _that_ again!"

Don put his arm around Judy and walked her to the breakfast table. "Hey, let me tell you about the dream I had last night."

"Sure," she replied, "and I'll tell you about the one I had too…"

He arched his eyebrow in anticipation and thought, _'Yup, this is gonna be a __really__ good day.'_

_ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _

The End - for those of you who don't like a dark story ---- For those of you who do... proceed to Space Croppers Alternate Universe, rated "M"


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